Catecholamines are implicated, through their role as synaptic transmitters in the nervous system, in mood, emotion, body temperature regulation, and other psychological and physiological phenomena. The levels of catecholamines in neurons are closely controlled. One aspect of that control is through the regulation of protein synthesis in the cells: it is known that the rate of synthesis of both dopamine-B-hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase change in sympathetic ganglia and adrenal gland in response to long-term changes in activity. The objectives of this research include a search for other proteins whose synthesis rates are regulated coordinately, and a determination of what specific mechanism(s) regulate the synthesis of these proteins, utilizing sympathetic ganglia from rats. In addition, the time course and causal steps from stimulation to protein synthesis will be mapped. The method will include labeling of newly-synthesized proteins with radioactive amino acids followed by analysis of the labeled proteins on SDS polyacrylamide gels and by gel electrofocussing. For maximal sensitivity, a double-label technique will be employed: a control ganglion will be labeled with either C14- or H3-amino acid while the experimentally-treated ganglion is labeled with the other radioactive isotope. The ganglia will then be mixed and their extracts analyzed together. Understanding this particular protein synthesis control mechanism in detail may have relevance for understanding the cause of such mental disorders as schizophrenia and depression. More generally, the process to be examined is an example of heredity-environment interaction in the nervous system. As such it may serve as a model for the way genetic programming allows for environmental influence on neuron function and consequently on animal behavior.